Severe Weather

FAU President Mary Jane Saunders resigns

Florida Atlantic University President Mary Jane Saunders has announced her resignation, WPBF 25 News has learned.

"When I accepted the presidency of FAU three years ago, I did so with a vision to expand upon the excellence of this richly diverse and strong institution with a focus on academics and student success," a school release quoted Sanders as saying. "We, as a campus community, have successfully accomplished these goals."

And more recently, former Rep. Allen West, whose wife is an FAU board member, threatened students whom he claimed were harassing her.

"There is no doubt the recent controversies have been significant and distracting to all members of the university community," Saunders continued. "The issues and the fiercely negative media coverage have forced me to reassess my position as the president of FAU. I must make choices that are the best for the university, me and my family."

FAU Board of Trustees Chair Anthony Barbar also was quote in the release.

"The list of accomplishments you made during your three-year tenure is long," Barbar wrote to Saunders. "FAU, its students and the region benefited from the strong vision you had for the university's future -- a future you have set in motion."

Barbar told WPBF 25 News he was sad, but "not totally" surprised by her resignation.

"The events put together just created a perfect storm," he said.

Barbar said he hopes to have an interim president in place by the fall semester. Then, a search committee will be formed to find a permanent president.

"Certainly, we need to look ahead, but we also need to look back and see the things that we could have done differently, and we need to do those differently going forward," Barbar said.

View, Share Breaking News Photos On WPBF.com's u local:

Copyright 2013 byWPBF.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Sunday it was "very alarmed" by reports of widespread doping by track and field athletes in major competitions including the Olympic Games and world championships.

The Obama administration will unveil a major climate change plan Monday aimed at a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's coal-burning power plants, a senior administration official told CNN.